Thursday, November 1, 2012

Visiting Great Dixter

Many thanks for your kind comments, emails and concernsre: Hurricane Sandy. We were very fortunate! Just debris and minor breakage in the garden, and some water damage at our shop.

It's been a busy week sorting out the garden and shop, so I'd like to share a garden visit from a recent trip.

* * * * *

Located
in Southeast England, Great Dixter is a glorious house with parts dating
to the 1450s. The current house is the result
of the original 15thcentury house and another 16th century
one moved from a neighboring county. The two homes along with additions were
combined by esteemed architect Edwin Lutyens for the Lloyd family in the early
1900s.

Surrounding
the house are gardens designed in the Arts and Crafts style by Lutyens along with Nathanial and Christopher Lloyd (father and son). Christopher, a writer and charismatic personality, nurtured and made
famous the gardens of whimsical topiaries,
meadows, wildflowers, orchards, colorful borders, and potted plants.

Glad to hear you have a minimum of damages to deal with, Loi. Hope the cleanup goes quickly!

My Aunt/Uncle live in Oyster Bay ( Long Island's north shore) and my cousin lives in NJ-a very hard hit area. They will have quite a bit to do to get back to normal. Nothing that can't be fixed, but lots of uprooted trees and flooding, etc. Hard to see my city( and the NJ Boardwalk!) in such shambles.

I am so glad that you managed to come through that awful storm virtually unscathed Loi. I have yet to visit Great Dixter but your photographs make me want to see it in all it's summer glory, we will have to plan a visit next year. If you like biographies do try 'Christopher Lloyd his Life at Great Dixter' by Stephen Anderton, a wonderful little book.

Dear Loi, You've been in my thoughts lately-- so so glad to hear that the damage from Sandy wasn't too terrible! I'm amazed that you were able to get this beautiful post together amidst all of the clean up... Thank you. Great Dixter is absolutely exquisite-- I love the way all of those potted plants spill out from the very inviting entrance. And Christopher Lloyd seems so charming- like his home. I shall have to add it to my list of houses to visit next summer! Warm regards & best wishes for a speedy return to normal,Erika

Dear Loi,How nice to see vibrant green on this dreary rainy day, will we ever see the sun again? Happy you made it through the storm without too much damage, so many in NY/NJ are not so lucky.

Love how the terra cotta pot grouping at the entry softens the masculine architecture of the facade of the house with color and foliage. Also the sweet cuttings in jars on the big trunk is a lovely sight. Adding this one to our England garden list. The beauty of an English manor and well tended gardens, well, it doesn't get any better in our opinion. Thanks for sharing your trip! Cindy

Great Dixter is always a joy to visit, and how beautifully you have portrayed it Loi. I chuckled at Brenda's remark - "How amazing would it be to spend a day with Lloyd?" I think it is nearly 7 years since he passed away.

Wow..I could go on and on about the beautiful gardens. The great barn is amazing as is the interior. Love to see all of the little canning jars and flowers with their info sheets. Love the windows on the interior "oops" photograph. Have a great day! - Tonya

I used to have such a charming book by Christopher Lloyd, I wonder what happened to it? I would read it at 2am in the old days before iPads. Great Dixter set the bar, now I want to back and visit, Loi!

So glad to know that you made it through Sandy without too many mishaps!Thank you for taking us along on this trip with you...just a magical place! I could spend some serious time meandering through these gorgeous grounds!Have a wonderful rest of the week!Donna

I'm so glad you weathered the storm okay. Best of luck to you getting everything back to normal and repairing the water damage. I know from the tornado disaster we've had out here, what a painstaking undertaking it can all be.

English gardens are so wonderful, aren't they? This one is no exception, just beautiful! I've told my husband that when I "retire", I plan to go live in the Cotswolds for a while, and take in as many beautiful English gardens as I can.

I too am glad that you have escaped the worst of that terrible storm. How did your camellias fare?

Taking photos inside? Tsk tsk. My own downfall is when they say 'don't touch' I just feel that I must - somehow. Breaking those sorts of laws seems to run in my family: My grandmother confessed in later years that as a schoolgirl in the 1920s, she carved her name on to one of the large stones at Stonehenge!

The Gardens at Great Dixter are charming and the house is beautiful isn't it. I'm glad that you have been able to go and visit it.

Christopher Lloyd used to write a very enjoyable column in Country Life Magazine.

Glad you 'accidentally' snapped that photo indoors...because I love those windows. I also love that adorable little garden gate. A perfect English house. I hope to visit England one day, it's on my bucket list. Glad to hear you and yours are well and that Sandy didn't take too much of a toll.

Loi so glad to hear you are ok. I love love this house and lawn. so much what I'm going for but will never have because it's a bit messy for my hubs. I too love that gate and the tall grass around the topiary garden blows me away..such a contrast. he he...good job on the clandestine photo snapping..your karma is fine I'm sure!

Thanks for taking us on a tour of this beautiful English home. The gardens are gorgeous and I love the little (single) flower display at the top. Great photo of Christopher Lloyd :) He has a kind, charming appearance.

I am in design heaven. Where do I start?WEll, let's start with the barn. WOW! Can I live there? And the gardens are lush and beautiful, the window in the picture you took has to find its way to me, and the flowers in the canning jars are lovely.I am so happy that things are ok in your neck of the woods. So many weren't as lucky,a nd they are in my thoughts and prayers.Thank you for sharing, as always, a perfect post, Loi!Happy Thursday.Teresaxoxo

Loi,Great Dixter is a favorite of mine. Fergus Garrett is doing a wonderful job carrying on LLoyd's legacy of experimentation. Did you notice the mix of contemporary furniture that he added to the antique pieces that had long been in the family? That eclectic mix is in both the house and garden.

I am so relieved to know that all is well and there is only minor damage after the storm! Thank you for sharing these wonderful photos with us. The medieval house is so rustic and charming! I adore the gardens! The one time I've been to England what really stood out for me was how adding some plum foliage to the garden really makes the green in the garden "pop" and look so bright and pretty. Seeing your pictures reminded me of this.

Dear Loi - I'm glad to hear that you escaped the worst of Hurricane Sandy. And I can imagine that you were in seventh heaven visiting Great Dixter's beautiful gardens. Like you, I really admire that rather Gothic gate.

Hi Loi, These beautiful photos are making me feel a little nostalgic for summer - and I really am happiest in the fall. I love the view of the house across the topiary lawn and the foreboding English sky above the long border. My kind of day. Hope you were able to get off on your next trip without much trouble.

What a lovely place. I'm such a fan of English style gardens and Mr. Lloyd looks like such a kindly gentlemen in those photos! I love that gate too, I've never seen one quite like it. Thanks for the vicarious visit...even if you did break the rules. ;-)

Ah, the English garden. Nothing more lovely with its apparent effortless naturalistic look, (which takes a lot of work to portray!), and Great Dixter is such a fine example. There's a rather nice youtube of Christopher Lloyd talking to Rosemary Verey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgJAua1dbuoPerhaps not as good as seeing the real thing, but it's nice to "meet" the late Mr Lloyd.

Oh Loi, I'm so glad to hear that you're safe and sound and escaped the storm without too much trauma!What wonderful images of Great Dixter, it's such a beautiful place, and on this cold and wintery morning in England, it's so nice to be reminded of sunnier, warmer days!best wishes,Paula xxx

That is a spectacular home and garden! I love how they've sculpted the hedges and boxwood. What a lovely gentleman and his dog. Thanks again for the tour. Hope youre having a wonderful time this week!xo NancyPowellbrowerhome.com

I always feel like I've been right there with you after reading one of your posts! The pictures are fabulous and I'm glad you snuck one in there yourself! What a wonderful place to visit! Thanks for sharing this with us! Have a wonderful weekend!

Hi Loi, so glad to hear that you weathered the storm safely... and I appreciate this lovely tour of this heavenly home. Takes me back to warm summer days. Wish I could go for a wander though the gardens. Happy Weekend!

Since the UK is a favorite of mine I loved seeing this garden, I will certainly try to see this one! The flowers in the canning jars are so beautiful + that gate! soo glad you + yours are OK after Sandy. Thanks for stopping by my blog. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com

What a lovely tour through a beautiful garden. I took pause when I saw the gate, that was a favorite aspect of mine. I can just imagine the smoothness and the satiny patina of the wood. I always marvel at the craftsmanship of years gone by. Thank you for another lovely journey on your blog.I am so glad you had minimal damage and that you were safe in the storm,xo Kathysue

Hello Loi:We are so relieved to hear that all is reasonably well with you after the awful turmoil of Hurricane Sandy. Clearly, many others are still suffering great distress and our hearts go out to them all.

Your photographs of Great Dixter are stunning and reflect so well the many moods of this iconic garden and its bold planting schemes. Christopher Lloyd wrote for many years in Country Life and his columns were inevitably well judged and full of sound advice. His plant knowledge was legendary and the many books which he had published are more than testament to this.

However, we tend to think that one is either a 'Great Dixter' gardener or a 'Sissinghurst' gardener and we would fall most definitely into the latter category. For us, strong structure is an essential feature of a garden and we find that Great Dixter has insufficient for our liking. Nevertheless, we have been there many an occasion and filled a notebook with plant names and ideas for planting schemes.

Hah! It must be a "Lutyens" kind of day...I just posted on another blog about bringing in my garden lutyens bench (luv the patina) and putting it at the foot of the guest room bed. It is "well sat upon."Life, here, is getting back to "normal"..whatever THAT is... franki

Oh how I would love to be in Europe right now, but Upstate NY at least has power for us after leaving behind a disasterous neighborhood in Jersey! I love this post is so happy and hopeful!Stay well,Karolyn

Loi,I'm relieved to hear you are okay. Such a devastating storm in some areas!I really love this house and its grounds. I will have to click on the link you provided to see/read more. The gardens are breathtaking and that gate, how old must that wood be? Such an amazing home.Enjoy your weekend.Karen

Christopher Lloyd was a true English gentleman whose passion for plants was obvious to anyone who met him or visited his gardens. His death was a great sadness to the gardening world but, although I have not visited recently, I can see from your photos Loi that his beautiful legacy to this world is being nurtured still :-) Thank you for sharing.

So glad you weathered Sandy with minimal problems! Ooooh, such beautiful gardens--covet the container gardens that I am always trying in vain to achieve. And, Lloyd is such a wonderful character--they just don't make them like him much anymore. Lloyd and sweet Dahlia are quite the picture.

Beautiful house -- I love the windows -- and gardens. Especially enjoy the pathways through the gardens that the English are so good at. We lived in Hampshire, also in the south of England, near Portsmouth, when I was younger. I've always wanted to go back, like a part of me is still there... Wonderful to see your photos! Glad to hear you were mostly ok from the storm! Did not even lose power here, but kids were happy to have the 2 days off from school!

Oh Loi, how charming and beautiful is this house and the gardens! The gate & great hall are so lovely. Love your image of the flowers in canning jars!!So glad to hear you and your beautiful home & gardens survived the storm!! I was worried!!xxo Monica

Second, let me reiterate what has been said again and again, thank God you are OK. I am sure that you will make fast work of your cleanup. Water damage is always such a pain but thankfully that is all it was.

I love these photos, I love this house and garden. Very pretty. Thank you for sharing!

I just loved ambling again through this delicious post. There is truly nothing more beautiful for MYSELF, than a European garden. So lush and green, these spots have served as inspirations for me and my husband as we single handedly planted all of our boxwood hedges.

I want to thank you so much for your visit tonight and most kind words! Yes, I hope to publish one day, and over the last five years of blogging, I have come full circle to two of my passions: WRITING and art. I hope to take this time that I have now as a part-time teacher to gather my best blog posts, revise them, and launch them off one day as a collection of recollections. I am by no means ready to submit any serious poetry, but that is where I believe I belong. However, I am currently taking a memoir writing class thanks to winning a scholarship and I am hoping this will solidify habits of writing that will improve my skills. Hearing kind words like yours really is encouraging!

And I am so happy to have found you, for your world of beautiful tones on tones is just the world I love to escape to and LIVE IN!

I'm finally able to actually SEE your lovely post and incredible beauty along with the purest love emanating from each and every image, has warmed my weary soul.

My first thought was thank God the entrance was leaning to the LEFT! haha!

Monday, I saw how horrific the weather was down by you and then at 6pm on the 29th, all went dark--for 120 hours on the button. I'm grateful that is all that it was for us and that you are alright too! xo ~ Laurel

I'm sorry to hear about your store and landscape, but thank goodness it wasn't worse. My heart goes out to those who are suffering right now and they're in my thoughts and prayers! These images are incredible - the architecture and sweet details of this place make me happy! Thanks once again for making my morning Loi!

Hi Loi,So glad you are all safe and sound with just a little damage.Love your Great Dixter images, particularly the forbidden interior shots.I've never visited, but the house and gardens are often featured in magazines. It all looks quite magnificent.Hope you have a good week,Lizx

Hello LoiWe are very pleased that we found your blog. We also love the swedish antiques :). You show beautiful things, so we will follow with great pleasure.This house is fantastic.Have a nice day. Joanna and Jola

Hi Loi, I just found your blog via Anita's site! And I'm very happy to have found you :)Your blog is just lovely and I'm in fascinating with this English Garden!!! Thank you for sharing such wonderful images.And I'm glad to hear you are safe and sound from Sandy storm. Have a wonderful day!

Loi, So glad to hear you are safe and had some good luck through the storm. I just love reading about your magnificent travels... and you tell the story very well...so well I feel as if I am there! What a lovely home and garden this is... So charming! The garden has this unfussyness about it as if it just happened that way by nature. Beautiful. Best to you, Loi.

Dear Loi, this place speaks to my soul, it really does...gorgeous all around.So glad you are safe... I hope the recovery goes smoothly for you. I'm sorry about the water damage!Stay warm...are you getting some of that snow?Blessings,- Irina

What a wonderful post to return to after my brief hiatus! I love this place called Great Dixter; everything is so luscious and green. Mr. Lloyd seems to have swag too; great picture of him. I am thrilled to hear you're safe and only suffered minor damages. Thank goodness! This is such a painful time for many... Lovely post. XX

Loi you have definitely brightened my day!! The gardens are amazing; love the topiaries. Do they bring all of those potted flowers and plants in for the winter!? There is so much variety and the interior is like stepping back in time!

Glad to read you weathered the storm. Another great post! When I studied landscape design I selected cottage gardens and formal estate garden studies which I did for two years. This brings back memories of what fun it was to learn, learn, learn, about the history and plan the details, plant lists, beds, sun and wind considerations, light, and type of architecture etc. There videos on YouTube on the The Dixter garden. What a thrill to see how much respect there is for wonderful estates and gardens. My bucket list still has room to add some landscape classes in the UK they do a wonderful job preserving, designing and enjoying gardens.

Loi, where to begin? You've shared such wonderful photos! What a view of the Great Hall and the topiary garden. The gate is wonderful and oh, the flowers anf the barn. I'm in love. Thanks for taking us along on your visit and that you continue to make progress with the storm damage.Have a wonderful weekend, Loi!

Oh Loi, I love this post and all the colorful images that YOU took! I thank you kindly for coming to visit today; as many of us, I am finding myself extremely busy with my art now but writing or at least EXPLORING it is my passion yet I don't have too much time these days to crank out a great post. I had the idea in my head, but the limited time I have today did not allow me to edit much but your comments are just so welcomed.

I hope all of you out there are faring well these days and keep safe and warm! Many thanks, Anita

stunning photographs loi that bring back fond memories of my many visits there and friendship with christopher and fergus.

talented and clever, christopher had a wicked sense of humor and the advantage age affords to be utterly free of restraint with one's words. that is as long as you were not on the receiving end, i once was. the sting is long gone and what i most remember is the naughty twinkle in his eye